1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to goal hoops for the game of basketball and the like, and more particularly to a mounting assembly for a basketball goal hoop wherein means are provided to prevent damage to the overall assembly or injury to a player's hand or arm in those instances in which the player's limbs come into contact, deliberately or accidentally, with the goal hoop. It has become common for the backboard for a basketball goal to be made of glass or the like, and where a player intentionally touches and places a downward stress on the hoop, or even in those instances, such as in the well-known "dunk shots", where the player accidentally comes into contact with the rim, it has often happened that the glass backboard has been fractured by the resultant relative movement between the goal hoop and the backboard, creating a hazardous situation for immediately adjacent participants, and has, as well, caused unwarranted delays in the game while replacement equipment is installed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some attempts have been made in the past to provide a resilient connection between the goal hoop and the backboard, attempts that have included means intended for absorbing the energy of the player contact with the rim of the hoop, so as to reduce the mechanical strain placed on the goal assembly and particularly between the goal hoop and the stationary backboard. However, the prior art endeavors in this field have either failed to provide the necessary degree of resilience, or have involved such complicated mechanical arrangements as to render them impractical. Patented examples of such prior-art assemblies include the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,111,420 and 4,194,734, both issued to Frederick C. Tyner, and 3,802,702, issued to Harvey E. Pulley. U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,477, issued to Thomas R. Hoyt, discloses an analogous basketball goal having a suction-cup mounting means which inherently provides resiliency in the mounting, but for entirely different reasons. Further, the prior art has also utilized so-called "break-away" assemblies in which the means mounting the goal hoop simply collapse or break away from their normal positions, the various members of the assembly being designed to be released from their normal supporting interconnections without actual disassembly of the various parts of the mount. However, even in this type of goal hoop mounting assembly the playing of the game must be interrupted while officials or others readjust or reassemble the collapsed assembly to its operative and supporting position. An additional drawback of this so-called "break-away" mount is that it permits the hoop and associated mounting means to collapse and strike the contestants on the head, shoulders or arms, resulting in injuries which have become the subject of litigation in some instances.